In a bid to save energy, Congress moved up daylight-saving time by three weeks this year. But so far, the change appears to have backfired after Americans last month used record amounts of gasoline as they got out to enjoy the extra hour of sunshine.

Oil and gasoline prices continued to climb Friday and may well continue their stunning ascent in the coming days, if not weeks, as strong demand tests tight supplies and geopolitical tensions further strain world oil markets.